A Matter of Trust
by RobertCop3
Summary: Another AU timeline fic, this one a sequel to "And King Makes Three." It's the first day of the tournament for the newly formed Women Fighters Team. Yuri learns something about King's past that could destroy not only their friendship, but also Yuri's relationship with her family. Rated T mostly for language. Made some edits as of 02/15/19.
1. Chapter 1

**A Matter of Trust**

by

RobertCop3

So, I keep getting ideas for my AU Timeline (first introduced in "Sliding Doors"). This is inspired by something I've found interesting. King and Yuri are obviously very good friends in the timeline of the games, but King also used to work for the man who kidnapped Yuri. I don't know if the two of them have ever had to confront this fact, but I think it would make for an interesting story, which serves as the inspiration for this. This is a sequel to "And King Makes Three," and takes place about a month later, after the King of Fighters tournament is underway.

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games, or the anime.

* * *

**South Town Pavilion – August 1997**

After a lengthy hiatus following the return and subsequent "second death" of Geese Howard, the King of Fighters tournament was back, and more exciting than ever. And both spectators and competing fighters were psyched. The stands at the pavilion were packed, every person focused intently on the fighting ring that had been set up in the center. Down in the front rows, which were reserved for fighters, friends and teammates Mai Shiranui and Yuri Sakazaki exchanged a worried glance with one another as they too watched the action.

It was only the preliminary round, but so far, the Women Fighters Team seemed off to a shaky start. They were up against the Justice Team, and their third teammate, King, was clearly struggling against the other team's captain, Kim Kaphwan.

The blond kickboxer tried a low sweep, which the Korean Tae-Kwon-Do master dodged by jumping up high, and then countered by diving down with his Hishou Kyaku. King attempted to counter with her Trap Shot, but her timing was off. She delivered it too early, allowing Kim to strike her in the stomach with both feet. King flew backwards into the ropes, trying to catch her breath. But Kim did not appear to be giving her that chance. He came at her with a high roundhouse kick that King barely managed to duck.

"Focus, King!" Mai shouted from the sidelines. "Keep watching his feet!"

"Man, what's with her?" Yuri said to Mai. "Every single time we practiced together in the weeks before the tournament, her form was flawless. The King we sparred with should be eating this guy for breakfast."

"I know," Mai nodded grimly, then winced as she watched her friend take another hit that King should have been able to avoid.

"You think it might be stage fright?"

Mai shook her head. "She said she's competed in tournaments before. No, it has to be something else. She was fine when she first stepped into the ring, and now... this."

"I hope she can get it together," said Yuri.

Sadly, that was not the case. A few minutes later, King was down for the count and Kim Kaphwan was declared the winner of the match. After the announcement, Mai and Yuri both went into the ring to help their fallen teammate to her feet.

"I'm sorry, girls," King said as she looked down at the ground. "I... don't know what happened out there. I knew... what to do... but... everything just seemed 'off.'"

"It's okay, King," Mai said, holding her hand out to the kickboxer. "I'll handle him. You go recover. You'll need your strength for the next round."

"Right," King said with a nod. "Good luck." She slapped the palm of her hand against Mai's, and then allowed Yuri to guide her out of the ring.

As Mai walked to her corner, she saw several flashbulbs going off from the stands. Many of the spectators who had been present at the 1995 tournament clearly remembered her, and had been hoping she would show up again. Mai took a moment to turn to the stands and pose for them. She then heard the announcer speaking from the center of the ring: "And next up for the Women Fighters, we have Mai Shiranui, a citizen of both Japan and the USA! If this fight goes as well for her as it did for her teammate, then maybe the Women Fighters Team should start practicing more in the kitchen!"

This was met with mixed responses from the crowds, some of it laughter, some of it boos. He was about to go on when suddenly the microphone was snatched from his hand.

"Hi, everyone!" Mai cheerfully addressed the crowd, bouncing lightly up and down on the balls of her feet. "Quick show of hands: do we have any students from the Garou and Moeru Hana ninjitsu school with us today?"

A few hands shot up. Mai went on: "Well, then I have just one thing to say. Thanks for coming, and I hope you enjoy the show!" She winked, dropped the microphone at the announcer's feet, and went back to her side of the ring.

The crowd started to go wild, some of them cheering, others trying to take more pictures. Mai briefly locked eyes with her fiance, Andy Bogard, who was also sitting in the front rows. Andy smiled and gave her a nod. Mai giggled and blew him a kiss.

Shortly after the fight started, Mai made the announcer eat his words. She took down Kim in less than five minutes, and had enough energy after that fight to take on one of Kim's teammates, the hulking ex-convict Chang Koehan.

This fight was a bit more harrowing. Mai knew that Chang had her outclassed in size and physical strength, so she used her speed and agility to their peak advantage. Shortly after the match began, she got Chang to lose his temper with a series of taunts, goading him into swinging at her repeatedly with his massive ball and chain, while she continued to dodge the attacks. She would need to avoid him until Chang got exhausted from swinging, then she could knock him down easily.

It was risky, however, and Mai knew it. All it would take was one misstep, one lapse in her concentration, for the tables to turn, and if Chang got in a single hit, not only would the fight be over, but Mai could be seriously injured. So she blocked out the noise of the crowds, and everything else in the room, focusing only on her opponent, his weapon, and the ring.

"Come on, beardy!" Mai shouted at Chang as she ducked another swing. "You're not even trying!"

Out in the crowds, Terry Bogard said to his teammates: "It's a smart strategy Mai's using. Chang looks like he's starting to lose steam."

"It's risky, though," said Joe Higashi. "All it will take is one wrong move, and then whoever is giving Mai away will have to wheel her down the aisle in a body cast."

Terry punched Joe on the arm. "Not the time, Joe!" He then nodded in the direction of his brother.

Andy Bogard was so tense, he was almost sitting on the edge of his seat, his hands gripping his knees so hard his knuckles were bleached. Joe gave Andy a pat on the shoulder. "I wouldn't worry, dude. Mai's game has improved a _lot _since I first met her. I think she can keep this up."

Andy ignored him and continued to stare unblinking at the ring. "Don't lose your focus, Mai," he whispered.

Finally, after several tense minutes had dragged by, Chang took a shaky step forward, tried to raise his arm again... but it fell limply to his side. Mai immediately switched to the offensive, flinging two fans that struck Chang at pressure points on his right arm, causing him to drop the ball and chain. She then did a cartwheel and launched into her Chou Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi attack, her body enveloped in chi flames. She hit her opponent dead center, knocking him from the ring and ending the bout.

The crowd went insane, and for several seconds their cheering drowned out the announcer. Mai smiled for the audience and went into her famous "Nippon ichi!" win pose, but it was clear that she was shaky on her feet. Her strategy had worked, but having to dodge Chang for so long (and maintain her level of concentration) had sapped her energy. She remained standing long enough to hear her name announced as the winner, then she sank to her knees, every muscle aching with fatigue.

King and Yuri were at her side in seconds. "I've got nothing left, girls," Mai panted as King helped her to her feet.

"You did great, Mai," Yuri said, and held her hand out to the kunoichi. "Let me take it from here."

"Right," Mai nodded, and then tagged her teammate in. "You've got this, Yuri. Kick ass like I know you can."

King nodded as well. "Take us to the next round, girl." She then started to help Mai out of the ring, the ninja girl's arm draped across her shoulders. "Come on, Mai. Let's get you a snack and some water."

It was now the deciding match. The third member of Team Justice vs. the third member of Team Women Fighters. Yuri took up her position on one side of the ring and faced her opponent: another ex-convict named Choi Bounge, short in stature but looking extremely dangerous, sporting a pair of leather gloves with knives sewn into the fingers.

Out in the stands, a fighter with short, spiky blond hair wearing an orange gi was nervously biting his fingernails. "We have to stop this match!" Ryo Sakazaki said to his two teammates. "He's gonna cut her to ribbons!"

Sitting to the right of Ryo, his father Takuma Sakazaki was not looking at the ring, but rather he seemed to be intently studying the floor. "If you step in that ring, you disqualify her whole team," he said quietly. "We abide by the rules of the tournament."

Ryo turned to the older man in shock. "How can you just sit there and..."

"Ryo..." To Ryo's left, Robert Garcia placed a hand on his friend's arm. "Just stay calm. I have a feeling that Yuri might surprise you."

Down in the ring, Choi gave a small, high-pitched cackle. Yuri had the feeling that under his shades, he was sizing her up. "Don't worry, little girl," he said. "I'll go easy on you."

"Yeah, you wouldn't want to get bruised too badly, would you?" Yuri shot back, and assumed her stance.

A few seconds later, the announcer yelled "FIGHT!" and Yuri approached cautiously, forearms raised to protect her face. She got halfway across the ring when Choi somersaulted forward suddenly along the ground with blinding speed, closing the distance between them in about a second, springing up suddenly and then lashing out with his gloved hands. Yuri saw it coming and did a quick flip backwards to avoid getting slashed.

Choi quickly followed this by doing a jab with his metal talons outstretched. Yuri was just coming out of her flip and barely had time to dodge that strike, but she pivoted her body at the last second. Seeing an opening, Yuri lashed out with her right leg, the sole of her sneaker striking Choi's midsection.

Choi then tried to slice to the left with his outstretched hand, but Yuri ducked both that and the other claw that followed it. Seeing another opening, she launched into an uppercut, her fist connecting solidly with the right side of her opponent's face and knocking Choi backwards several paces.

Yuri took a cautious step forward, her forearms raised defensively again. Choi surprised her by lunging more quickly than she expected. He spun rapidly towards her with his arms outstretched, like a deadly windmill of razor-sharp steel. It took all of Yuri's concentration to avoid the attacks, but she was too slow on one of her jumps backwards, and Choi's claws raked across her right forearm, leaving three bleeding gashes in their wake.

Yuri grunted and faltered for a moment, barely avoiding Choi's follow-up as he sliced upwards with both hands. She countered with a hard knee to his gut, and an elbow check to the face, slowing him down enough to let her get a safe distance away.

"It just occurred to me how arbitrary this fight selection is," King remarked from the sidelines. "Your guy was in a _completely _different weight class. This guy is using deadly weapons against an unarmed opponent."

Next to her, Mai was watching the fight while eating a bowl of orange slices. "She's got this," the kunoichi assured her teammate. "She just needs to stop fighting him on his terms." She swallowed her orange and then shouted to the ring: "Go high, Yuri!"

Inside the ring, Yuri heard this and nodded in understanding. Choi began to roll across the ground towards her again. This time Yuri maintained her position, waiting until her opponent was in just the right spot, then she jumped straight up, tucking in her legs and extending her arms down at a forty-five degree angle.

"Rai Oh Ken!" She shouted. Choi finished his roll and jumped up... only to have a bright pink chi fireball slam into him at almost point-blank range, knocking him back down against the ground. While still airborne, Yuri shifted position and streaked back towards the ground with her leg outstretched, her foot catching Choi in the jaw and knocking him flat.

No sooner had Choi gotten back up from that than Yuri was on him again with another airborne attack, her feet a blur as she pummeled his face and chest with her Hien Hou'ou Kyaku. She finished with a somersault kick to her opponent's jaw. The attack sent Choi back to the ground, and this time he did not get up before the count was finished.

"Winner: Yuri Sakazaki!" The announcer shouted over the din of the cheering crowd. Yuri grinned and flashed the spectators a thumbs-up. "And Team Women Fighters advance to the next round!"

"Yes!" Both Mai and King were on their feet to cheer their teammate, Mai having gotten her second wind thanks to a burst of euphoria.

Yuri gave them a thumbs-up as well, then walked over to the announcer and snatched away his microphone. "Oh, and let's keep the kitchen jokes to a minimum from now on, shall we?" She spoke into it. This was met with even more cheering from the stands, and Yuri dropped the mike at the announcer's feet and left the ring to rejoin her friends in the front row.

"You did it!" King shouted, and gave her teammate a hug.

"I knew you had it in you, Yuri!" Mai said as she joined the hug.

"Thanks, girls," Yuri said to them. "I gotta admit: that felt great! I see why people enjoy competing. It's kind of addictive."

Their celebration was interrupted a few moments later by a man dressed in white. "Excuse me, ladies," he said. "I hate to interrupt, but I just wanted to take Ms. Sakazaki back to the infirmary to have her arm looked at."

"I nearly forgot about that," Yuri said with a laugh. She'd been so high on the win, she hadn't been feeling the sting of the wounds Choi had inflicted. Now she was feeling it again, so she allowed the man to lead her back towards the medical facilities. "Come look for me in a bit!" She called back to King and Mai.

The two women killed time for as long as they could while the ring was getting prepared for the next set of bouts. Mai bought another snack, and then they felt they had waited long enough, so they started back towards the infirmary. On their way, they ran to a familiar face with a blond bob-cut and green bomber jacket.

Mary Ryan saw them approaching, and gave a nod. "Mai... King... congratulations on your win this round."

"Thanks, Mary!" Mai exclaimed, and gave her friend a hug.

"My teammates did all the work," King said almost forlornly.

"It's just the preliminaries, King," Mary offered. "You've got plenty of time to find your groove. So, what are you girls up to?"

"Oh, we're just on our way back to the infirmary to check on Yuri," King explained.

"Mind if I tag along?" Mary asked them. "I need to lay low, I'm having an altercation with my teammates."

"What's wrong?" Mai inquired.

"Well, Yamazaki pulled his knife and threatened to turn my jacket into a short-sleeve. So I kicked him in the nuts. More than once. Billy's trying to calm him down."

"Ah," Mai said with a nod. She still had no idea why Mary's mystery client was paying her to be on the same team as two career criminals, but he was paying well, and Mary clearly knew how to handle herself. "Yeah, you'd better come with us."

So the three women walked through the arena over to the large, multi-chambered infirmary tent that had been erected back in a fairly quiet corner of the pavilion. They found out which flap Yuri was behind, and made their way there. Once inside, they saw that Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia had already beaten them to it, though it was clear from the way that Robert was holding his friend's arm that he was there more for Ryo than for Yuri. The karate girl was seated on an exam table while the doctor, a matriarchal-looking woman of about forty-five, was tending to her.

Yuri's eyes lit up when she saw Mai, Mary and King standing in the entryway. "Come on in, girls! They're almost done here." The doctor was putting the finishing touches on a dressing to Yuri's arm. The three women entered the tent and moved behind the exam table.

"Everything looks good," the doctor said. "He broke the upper layers of the skin, but it didn't get too deep. You won't need stitches. Just keep it covered for the next few days, and it should heal nicely on its own."

"I sure will," said Yuri. "Thanks!"

"And that's it?" Ryo looked like he was ready to grab a needle and start trying to stitch Yuri himself.

"Yes, that's it," the doctor said brusquely.

"What if it gets infected?"

"I cleaned it with peroxide. As long as she keeps it covered, it will be fine."

"But... maybe we should get a second opinion."

"Ryo," Robert Garcia said calmly. "This woman is an MD. If she says it's only a scratch, then that's all it is."

"Thank you," the doctor said to Robert with a heavy sigh of relief. Then she turned to Yuri. "Take care of yourself out there."

"Oh, don't worry about me," Yuri said with a laugh.

"I can see I don't have to," the doctor said with a laugh of her own. "Good day." Then she left.

As soon as she was gone, Ryo started up again. "What were you thinking?" He asked his sister.

"I'm thinking I beat that guy," Yuri said to her brother, looking extremely annoyed.

"But he nearly killed you! Are you trying to give dad a heart attack?"

Yuri rolled her eyes: "Um, first of all, he didn't nearly kill me. He's probably in worse shape than me right now. And second, if dad is that concerned about me, he can come see me himself."

"Yuri, he's still not speaking to you. You know why."

"Yeah, I know why. Because he's a giant baby."

"No, it's because you told him you've been going behind his back for several years, reading things you were forbidden to read. You're lucky he's still letting you live at the dojo. I at least managed to convince him to let you stay."

"And am I supposed to bow down and kiss your feet for saving the day yet again?"

Ryo was about to ready another retort when Robert cleared his throat. "Ryo, we're being rude. We haven't met Yuri's friends yet."

Mai, King, and Mary had been standing there awkwardly the entire time, feeling like flies on the wall. "Sorry," Yuri told them. "I forgot my manners. Mai, King, Mary... this is... my brother Ryo, and my... um, friend, Robert Garcia."

"Nice to meet you all," Robert said as he shook each of their hands. Ryo said nothing, but he followed suit.

"Um... yeah, right," King said somewhat awkwardly when he came to her. "Nice to... meet you. Too." Mai couldn't help but notice that King blushed a little as she shook Ryo's hand.

Mary sensed that the tension in the room was becoming palpable, so she tried to change the subject. "So, Yuri, I was just telling Mai and King outside: good job on your win this round."

"Thanks," said Yuri. "I'm looking forward to seeing you fight, Mary. Mai's told me all about you."

"Well, maybe in a later round you'll get to do more than just _watch _me fight."

Yuri laughed. "I hope so. That sounds like fun."

"Wait, wait, wait," Ryo raised his hands. "You're still competing, Yuri?"

"Well, yeah," Yuri said as if the question made no sense. "My team needs me. We're going to the next round. There has to be three people to a team. If I leave, we forfeit."

Ryo shook his head. "Yuri, whatever point you were trying to prove to me and dad, I think you've proven it. But don't you think this joke of your's has gone far enough?"

"This is not a _joke_!" Yuri snapped. "It never was! I'm a member of Team Women Fighters, and I'm in this until we win or get eliminated, preferably the former!"

King, Mai, and Mary had been exchanging awkward glances the whole time, as they were all hesitant to jump into what felt like a family matter. Before anyone could say anything else, the flap leading into the room opened.

Billy Kane stepped in and gave a small nod when he saw Mary. "Ah, there ya are, Blue. The doc said I might find ya in here." Billy then gave another nod to Mai. "Nice to see ya again, cutie. Congrats on the upcoming nuptials. Andy's a lucky bloke."

"Thanks, I guess," Mai grumbled. Even though Billy had helped them during the incident with the Jin Scrolls, Mai still had no love for the English bojutsu expert.

"So, anyway," Billy said, turning back to his teammate. "I wanted to let ya know I calmed Ryuji down. He's actually laughin' about the whole thing now."

"I hope he's not expecting an apology," Mary grumbled.

Billy shrugged. "Didn't seem like it to me." As his blue eyes swept the room, it was then he noticed another familiar face. "Oh, hey, King! Almost didn't see ya there. Been a while, hasn't it?"

The eyes of the other women turned and noticed that King had been trying to duck behind the exam table to get out of Billy's sight, but apparently had been too slow. "Um, hi, Billy," King said, though she was staring at the ground. "I guess... it has been a while."

"Wait, you know each other?" Mai asked King.

"Sure," Billy jumped in before King could answer. "My ould boss did business with her ould boss all the time, so we ran into each other a lot. Musta been what... six years ago that you left that gang?"

"Billy, maybe you should leave," Ryo snapped at the lanky fighter.

"Wait, what old boss?" Yuri asked, ignoring her brother.

"Mr. Big," Billy answered her. "She never told ya she worked fer him?"

"She failed to mention this to me," said Yuri, her voice starting to rise. She jumped up from the table and turned to face her teammate, who was trying to melt into the corner. Mai was looking at King as if the kickboxer had sprouted extra arms.

Ryo took a step towards Billy, his fists clenched. "Billy, she doesn't need to know this."

Yuri whirled back at Ryo, giving him a glare that could have cut diamonds. "Wait, what don't I need to know? Do _you _know something I don't? Have you _and _King been hiding something from me?"

Billy cleared his throat and took a moment to straighten his bandanna. "Right, well, I think we need to go, Ryan. Our team is gonna be up soon."

Mary looked to Billy, and then back to Yuri. "Yuri, are you gonna be alright?"

Yuri waved a hand at her. "Yeah. Just go. Your team needs you. I'll see you at dinner tonight."

"Right." With that, Mary and Billy took their leave.

"Mai, maybe you should go with them," Yuri then said to the kunoichi.

Mai gave a slow nod, realizing this appeared to be getting a little too personal. "Yeah, I should go find Andy. I haven't had a chance to talk to him since my match ended. I'll look for you later, Yuri." Mai then left as well.

Once Yuri was alone with King, her brother, and Robert, she snapped: "Okay, _someone _start talking! What don't I need to know?"

Ryo raised his hands. "Yuri, it's..."

"Oh, no!" Yuri took a step towards him. "I am sick of you and dad always trying to protect me, and treat me like a kid. It ends now! _TALK!"_

Ryo took a step back from her, while Robert stood there and tried to figure out who he should side with. King then spoke timidly: "Yuri, leave Ryo alone. He's not going to tell you anything. Because... I am."

"King...?" Ryo took a cautious step towards the kickboxer.

King raised a hand at him. "It's okay." She then blew out a weary sigh. "Yes, Yuri, I used to work for Mr. Big. The night you and I met... that was the reason I excused myself after I recognized your last name. It was... also the reason that Kim beat me so easily today. I was fine when I got into the ring, and then I saw Billy, and he gave me a nod, so I knew he remembered me. And then I saw your brother, and Robert, and they also know me. And that... threw me off my game."

Yuri turned towards King. "Did you play a part in my kidnapping?"

King turned her gaze towards the ground, unable to look her friend in the eyes. "Yes... and no. I wasn't one of the people who actually kidnapped you. But I watched over you for a few hours, under Big's orders. Then, when it was clear that Ryo was converging on our location, they moved you. And they told me to stay, and try to slow Ryo down."

"That's why you seemed familiar," Yuri said grimly. "My kidnappers drugged me, so... I never got a clear look at anyone's face. But... when we met at La Illusion last month, I recognized your voice. But I just couldn't remember where it was from. Now... thinking back to that night six years ago... it _was _you. And you've known ever since we met... and you never told me. Why?"

King raised her hands almost pleadingly. "It's.. complicated. It was a different time of my life, I needed money badly, and working for Big seemed like the best way to get it."

"What possible excuse could you have for working for a scumbag like him?" Yuri snapped.

"My brother... was sick. I needed money for an operation to give him his life back!"

"Have you told Mai any of this?"

"I haven't told either of you anything about my connections to Big. Or about my brother."

Yuri shook her head, her eyes starting to shine with tears she was trying to hold back. "So in all the times this past month that we've gotten together for practice, for dinner, drinks, gossip... you've only told us what you think we should hear about you. I expect my family to keep secrets from me, but... I thought you were different. Is this how you treat all your friends? By hiding the truth from them?"

"I just... don't like to talk about my past," King said.

"And that makes what you did okay?" Yuri snapped at her.

"Yuri, calm down..." Ryo started to say.

At hearing his voice, Yuri suddenly whirled on her brother. "And _you_! King said that you three already know each other! Is that true?"

Ryo's eyes flicked briefly over to King, who gave him a nod. "It's true," he said. "The night you were kidnapped, she and I fought. I didn't see her again until a few years later, in 1994, when the Art of Fighting Tournament was organized due to King of Fighters being on temporary hiatus. King entered the tournament that year, hoping that she could use the prize money for her brother's operation. She lost, but... Garcia here paid for her brother to have the operation anyway."

Yuri looked to her brother, then to Robert, then back to Ryo. "And you kept _this_ from me, too? I told you and dad who my teammates were after I came clean. So you knew who King was. And you just decided to keep quiet about that little fact."

"We had reasons..." Ryo started to explain.

"I don't give a shit about your reasons!" Yuri cut him off, her voice rising as she spoke. "I am sick of people lying to me, and keeping their secrets to protect me from the truth, like I won't be able to handle it! Well, no more, do you hear me?" Tears started to slip from her eyes as she screamed: "_I AM NOT A FUCKING CHILD ANYMORE, AND I DON'T NEED ANYONE PROTECTING ME!" _With that, she turned and ran out of the infirmary.

"Yuri..." Ryo called after her, but she did not look back. King was gripping the edge of the exam table with both hands, her head bent down, also looking like she was about to lose it.

"Yuri... what have I done?" The kickboxer whispered to herself.

Ryo made his way over to her and cautiously reached out a hand. "It's okay, King..."

King's head came up suddenly. "Okay?" She snapped. "How is it okay? I may have just lost one of my only friends. I've lost them both, if Yuri and Mai are a package! And why? Because I was too fucking cowardly to just tell her the truth back when I first met her! Now, I may have ruined one of the best things I have in my life!" King then ran out of the room as well.

"Yuri's right, you know," Robert Garcia said to Ryo after King had left. "She's not a child anymore. I think we saw that today."

"Who side are you on?" Ryo growled at him.

"Whatever side I think is right, you idiot," Robert answered. "Ryo, you're my bro, but that doesn't mean I'm always going to agree with you. When I see bullshit, I'm gonna call you on it, and today, I saw your bullshit. You need to find your sister, and you need to talk to her."

Ryo looked at him for a moment, then laughed nervously and shook his head. "Yeah, I guess I do. Wish me luck."

"Good luck," Robert said with a nod as Ryo also left. The Kyokugen student stood there alone for another minute, then he also started towards the door. "You're gonna need it," he said to himself.

* * *

ADDITIONAL NOTES

And this seems like a good spot for a chapter break, since it's gotten a little wordy and is only going to get wordier.

A few things to point out: as you know, my stories are a continuation of the anime timeline, and Fatal Fury: TMP came out in 1994. No one in the movie mentioned KoF, so I'm assuming that in the anime timeline, there was no KoF tournament that year. So I worked in AoF to further try and tie those two storylines together.

And Mary knows who Mai's teammates are because obviously Mai introduced King and Yuri to her circle of friends in the weeks leading up to the tournament.

Thanks for reading so far. Next: the conclusion.


	2. Chapter 2

And now, the conclusion of "A Matter of Trust."

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games, or the anime.

* * *

_CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!_

The sound of leather battering steel echoed through the locker room as Yuri Sakazaki repeatedly punched her locker door with gloved fists. Her outburst had scared everyone else from the room, but at the moment, Yuri had a hard time caring about anyone else's feelings. She felt hurt, angry and betrayed. That combination had only made her want to hit something as hard as she possibly could. The door to her locker had seemed like a good target.

Yuri's big brown eyes burned with unshed tears as she slammed her fists repeatedly into the door, denting the metal with each strike. Things had been going so well. After feeling like she'd been living in a prison for most of her adult life, she'd finally made some friends, true friends, and had formed a team with them. Those feelings of warmth, camaraderie, and togetherness had shown her a larger world, one that before she felt she had only been watching from the outside in. Her teammates, Mai and King, treated her like a person, an equal, and hadn't cared about the famous reputation of her father.

They loved Yuri for Yuri. Now, the karate girl was afraid that she might lose that. King had been keeping secrets from her, secrets that Yuri felt she'd had a right to know. That wasn't bad enough. What had really made it cut deep was that King had known since the night she met Yuri that the two had shared a connection with the past, so for all the weeks they'd gotten to know each other, King had been hiding this from her. Yuri had needed to find out through someone else telling her.

_Can I find it in my heart to forgive her?_ Yuri thought to herself as she continued her assault on the locker door. _What if I can't? And then Mai is stuck in the middle. What if she's forced to make a choice between me or King? Who will she choose?_

The door to Yuri's locker was hanging off its hinges now. With a final cry of impotent rage, Yuri unleashed a spinning kick that snapped the door off completely and sent it clattering to the floor. She then stood there, breathing hard, wanting to hit something else, if only to offset the old feelings of helplessness that threatened to overtake her.

"I think it's dead," a familiar voice said softly. Yuri turned to see her brother, Ryo, standing not far away.

"Boys aren't allowed in here," Yuri grumbled as she grabbed a towel from her now open locker and started to dab at her face.

"Well, you know me," Ryo said with a shrug. "I have no respect for my sister's boundaries."

"I don't think you even know the meaning of that word," Yuri shot back.

Ryo was about to retort, but then he recalled how when Yuri was a teenager, he'd assisted their father in the weekly inspections of Yuri's room, searching for "dangerous contraband" like joints or condoms. Instead, he simply said: "You... really did a great job out there against Choi. You've... got skill. More than I realized."

"How nice of you to notice," Yuri said dryly.

Ryo blew out a breath and sat down on the bench. "Yuri, I'm sorry I didn't tell you that I knew King. It's just... after her brother's operation, she begged me not to tell anyone about our history. Also, Robert's only condition for giving her the money was that she never tell anyone where she got it from."

"Is this supposed to make me feel better?"

Ryo did not feel there was a right answer to that, so he kept silent.

Yuri then went on: "Because it will take more than that. It's not just what I learned today. You and dad... have been keeping shit from me my whole life. I can't live like that anymore. I'm... starting to wish dad _had _kicked me out. Only problem is, I have no place else to go. Mai and Andy are planning a wedding, I'm not gonna get in their way by squatting in their guest room. And King... well, I'm still not sure I can speak to her right now. I'm tired, Ryo. I'm tired of all the overprotectiveness. I'm tired of being lied to, being held back, tired of having my life planned by other people. I'm just... so... tired."

Yuri's emotional fatigue finally overrode her anger, and she dropped to her knees, buried her face in her towel, and started to cry. Ryo sat there, wanting to say or do something to provide comfort, but uncertain if that was what Yuri wanted. So he remained on the bench as his sister poured out her sorrow, sorrow that he knew was partially his fault, which only made it sting even worse.

Finally, Yuri seemed to have spent her tears, and she wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands. "Sorry," she muttered, her voice quaking slightly.

"Don't be," Ryo told her. She looked up at him, and noticed that his eyes seemed to have taken on a thoughtful gaze. "I don't know if me or dad have ever mentioned this, but... you look just like her."

Yuri cocked her head slightly. "Who? You mean mom?"

"Yeah. I've seen one or two pictures of her from when she was a child. When you were small, you reminded me of those pictures, and the resemblance has only gotten stronger as you've grown up. You have her eyes, her laugh, that peppy attitude. Dad could probably tell you about more similarities."

Yuri snorted, and rose to her feet. "Dad's not speaking to me, remember?"

"I know," Ryo said with a sigh. "I was just saying, that's all. Yuri, how well do you remember her?"

"Scattered images, mostly," Yuri said. "Nothing concrete. I guess the clearest image I have was her putting candles in my fourth birthday cake. I remember that her hair was in a braid, just like this one." Yuri reached back and touched a hand briefly to her own long brown hair.

"I remember mom pretty well," Ryo said. "It was hard on all of us when she died. And then dad disappeared for so long, and... for a while, all you and I had was each other. Do you remember that?"

Yuri couldn't help but laugh a little."How could I forget it? The first night you cooked for the both of us, we got food poisoning. After that, I asked you to take me to get a library card, so I could check out as many books on cooking as I could carry. But... you took care of everything else."

Ryo nodded. "Like I said, all we had back then was each other. I mean, you did the cooking, but you looked to me for everything else. You relied on me. Providing for us was what kept me going. I... took your kidnapping really hard. I guess because I was scared... that you might die just like mom did. And... you look so much like her, it's like you're the last reminder of her. And if... anything happens to you, I feel like mom will disappear forever. I guess... that's why I treat you the way I do, and... maybe it's one of the reasons dad does it, too." Ryo stopped talking then, and turned his gaze towards the ground.

After a few moments, he head a scuffle as Yuri sat down on the bench next to him, then he felt her hand on his shoulder. Her other hand gently gripped his chin, turned his head to face hers.

"I miss mom, too, Ryo," she said. "But... I'm not the only reminder of her. She's alive inside of us both. I may look more like her, but you carry a part of her, also. Ask yourself, this, though: if she were here now, what do you think she'd say if she knew that you and dad were trying to dictate my entire life?"

Ryo laughed a little. "She'd slap us both and tell us to knock it off."

"Probably," Yuri said with a laugh of her own. "Ryo, I'll always be grateful for what you did while dad was gone. You stepped up when we needed you to. If you hadn't, we would probably have wound up on the streets. But times change. People change. I'm not that helpless little girl anymore. I'm an adult now, and I need to live my own life, and make my own decisions. I'm not letting you or dad live my life for me."

Ryo smiled, a tear forming in his own eye. "How did you get so independent? You've grown up so much in such a short period of time. I remember how scared you looked when we untied you from that chair. Now, you're fighting in tournaments, beating the shit out of guys with knives for hands! Okay, Yuri. I... I promise that I'll try to back off, and let you have a life, but it might take me a while to learn to do that. I mean... you're still my baby sister."

Yuri laughed, and then hugged him. "I'll always be your baby sister. You just... need to remember I'm bigger now."

Ryo hugged her back. "I love you, imouto-chan,"

"I love you too, nii-san. That's one thing that isn't going to change."

After moment, Yuri pulled away. Then she cleared her throat. "So... I hate to seem like I'm running off again, but... I'd really like to find King. I have to talk to her. If... you and I can talk things out, then maybe... I can save my friendship."

"I understand," Ryo said with a nod. "Go."

Yuri got up from the bench, and was halfway out of the locker room when she heard Ryo say her name. She turned back to him. "Look, Yuri... maybe I can talk to dad again, convince him to do a sit-down with the two of us. I... think he needs to hear what you just told me."

Yuri nodded. "I appreciate that, Ryo. Thank you."

He laughed and waved a hand. "Sure. Now go on, get outta here."

As Yuri exited the locker room, she came face to face with Robert Garcia, who looked like he'd been milling around outside. "Hey," she said to him.

"Hey," he said back. "You okay?"

"I'm getting there," Yuri answered. She started to walk past him, then paused. "Is it true, Robbie? You paid for King's brother to have his operation?"

"It's true," he said. "But I wanted to be anonymous. I never told you because... I know what you think of me, Yuri, and if you found out about it you'd probably have assumed I was just throwing my money around."

"Why would I think that?"

"Isn't that what you've always thought of me?"

"But... why would you assume I'd think that about what you did for King's brother? Robbie, you gave someone a new lease on life. That's not just throwing money around."

Robert shrugged. "I didn't do anything special. King's brother needed help, and I had the money to help him. The surgeons who did his operation are the real heroes, they're the ones who did all the work."

Yuri couldn't help but laugh a little. "Do you _really _know what I think?"

"I guess not," Robert answered. "But, your opinion is important to me. It... has been for a while... I guess, because... because I..."

"What am I so afraid of?" Yuri asked out loud, gazing at Robert with a new understanding.

"Are you asking me? Or are you talking to yourse-"

Robert was cut off mid-sentence as Yuri closed the gap between them, stood up on tiptoes, cupped his cheeks gently in her palms, and pressed her lips to his. She held them there for only a second, then she let go.

"I promise I will talk to you later," she said to him, and then ran off, leaving Robert Garcia standing there looking very puzzled...

...but also very satisfied.

* * *

A short time later, Yuri ran into the members of the Fatal Fury Team: Terry Bogard, his brother Andy, and their friend Joe Higashi. Terry nodded at her, and touched a finger to the brim of his cap. "Hey, Yuri. Nice job on your win this round!"

"Thanks," Yuri told him. "I wish I could chat more, but I'm looking for King. You haven't seen her, have you?"

"Actually, we have," Terry answered. "The three of us were chatting with Mai just now when King came running past. Mai took off after her."

"I asked Mai if everything was okay," Andy added, "and she said it wasn't, but she would have to explain later."

"Yeah, I don't really have time to explain, either," Yuri said. "I need to find my teammates. Which way did they go?"

"That way," said Joe, pointing towards an exit from the arena that led out to the souvenir stands.

"Thanks, guys." Yuri gave them a nod, and ran out of the arena. After searching the grounds of the pavilion, it became apparent that King and Mai were no longer there. So Yuri tried to think about where they might go.

_King is upset,_ she thought. _So she would go somewhere that makes her feel comfortable._ It didn't take Yuri long to figure out where that would be. She ran outside, hailed a cab, and gave the driver the address for La Illusion.

After arriving and paying the fare, Yuri peeked inside the window. It wouldn't open until 4:00 PM (Sally and Elizabeth were running it while King was participating in the tournament), so the lights were off, and Yuri saw no sign of movement within. The entrance doors were locked, so Yuri cast a quick look around, and when she was satisfied no one was watching, she pulled her trusty lockpicks from her braid and set to work.

After she was inside, she allowed her eyes a moment to adjust to the dimness, and then she saw a hint of bright red towards the back of the bar. She started to make her way back, and as she got closer, she saw Mai and King seated at a table, an open bottle of wine and two empty glasses sitting between them. Mai had King's hand in both of hers, and was speaking softly to the blond kickboxer. Yuri could not hear what Mai was saying, but the calming effect of her words was obvious.

Yuri waited until it looked like Mai was done, then she cleared her throat. "Hey, girls."

King and Mai both turned their heads at the voice, and Mai got up from her chair and raised her hands almost defensively. "Listen, Yuri," the kunoichi told her friend. "King just told me her story. And you have every right to be angry with her, but _please_... just listen to what she has to say."

"I'll listen," Yuri said simply.

"That's all I ask," Mai said. "I'm going to let you ladies talk now." Mai walked to the front door and exited the bar.

Yuri took the chair that had just been vacated by Mai. King poured a little more wine into her empty glass, and offered to top off the empty glass in front of Yuri. Yuri shook her head. "No, thanks, I hate red wines. I think they taste like feet."

"This is a bordeaux imported from the Rhone River Valley," King explained. "Moves pretty fast every time I get a shipment."

Yuri gave a small snort. "So, you have a lot of customers who are willing to pay for a glass of feet? Alcohol does do funny things to people."

"I could tell you," King said with a nervous laugh. She then quickly downed half the crimson liquid in her glass."Look, Yuri... I'm sorry I didn't come clean with you before. But... I am willing to do that now, if you'll let me."

Yuri nodded. "I said I would listen. Just tell me one thing first: how much of what you _have_ told me about your past was a lie?"

"None of it," King answered her. "I was a student, then I dropped out when my brother got sick to find a way to raise money for his medical expenses. I also wasn't lying when I said that I worked as a bouncer. I just... left out what I did in between those two things."

"When you worked for Mr. Big?"

"Right, when I worked for Big. Like I said, I needed money fast, and I also knew that I had a unique skill set. I didn't want to enter the KoF tournament in those days, because that was back when Geese rigged it so that Billy Kane always won. I thought about working for Geese Howard, but he was a little _too _dangerous, and the rewards didn't seem worth the risk. So I chose one of the bosses under him instead.

"When I started to work for Big, I actually had to hide the fact that I was a woman. Organized crime is still largely considered a man's world, after all. So I cut my hair short, changed the way I dressed, glued on some fake eyebrows, got an Ace bandage to wrap my boobs in... I told the other members of the gang that I sang soprano in high school because my voice never changed. They bought it. I mean... we've established that I'm good at deceiving people." King gave a small, nervous laugh then.

Yuri simply sat there, listening. Then she asked: "What did you do for them?"

King took another large sip from her wineglass. "Sometimes I was a bodyguard, sometimes an enforcer. When I had to do that second thing I tried to justify it by telling myself that the people I shook down were drug and/or gambling addicts, while I was actually trying to get money for something good. It almost worked. I still had plenty of nights where I'd need to down a few snifters of brandy and then cry myself to sleep.

"And then... came the night of your kidnapping. Up until that point, my involvement in Big's gang had been tolerable, but when I saw you tied to that chair, your eyes glassed over from the sedative they'd shot you full of, just looking so disoriented, so frightened... I seriously began to question what I was doing there. I still followed orders and watched over you, but when we were alone, I tried to give whatever words of comfort that I could, saying things like it would all be over soon if you cooperated."

"I remembered the sound of your voice," Yuri said grimly. "Not so much what you said."

"Your hair was shorter, then," King went on. "That's why I didnt recognize you at first when we met here last month. It only clicked after you said the name of your family's karate style, and then I remembered your face. But getting back to the night of your kidnapping: after a few hours, Big decided to have his men move you to a new hideout. He ordered me to slow your brother down as much as I could. Ryo and I fought each other for a while. Then I made the mistake of looking into his eyes. I saw a lot of things there, but mostly fear. The fear of not knowing where you were, if you were even still alive, and if you were alive, the fear of not knowing if you were safe, or if you were being beaten and raped. In that moment, I put myself in his shoes, and I thought about how I would feel if Jan, my brother, had been kidnapped by someone. I would probably feel the same terror I saw in Ryo's eyes.

"So I threw the fight. Ryo launched an extremely powerful Haoh Sho Ko Ken at me, and I probably could have dodged or countered with some chi of my own, but I didn't. I lowered my arms and I took the full brunt of it. I was so ashamed of myself at that point, I felt I deserved it. I survived, but the energy tore my clothes to shreds, revealing my secret to several other members of Big's gang. I didn't care at that point, anyway. I _wanted _out of that gang. Them finding out my true gender just gave me the excuse I needed.

"I was... too injured to go with Ryo and Garcia, otherwise I'd have helped them rescue you. But I gave them the address you'd been moved to, and I gave them my key, and also told them about another entrance in through the roof that Big didn't know about. I just... wish I could have done more.

"After that night, I told Big I wanted out. I think the only reason he let me go is because he knew I had no plans to snitch. I didn't want to subject my brother to Witness Protection, and force him to uproot his life because of my stupid mistakes. Also, the South Town PD was still in Geese Howard's pocket back then, so who _could _I have snitched to? I did come clean with Jan, though, and God bless him, he begged me to take all the cash I'd been saving for his operation, and give it anonymously to charity. He said he didn't want his life to be saved with dirty money, especially considering that I'd needed to hurt people to get that money. So I started over, working as honestly as I could this time. I thought I'd never see Ryo again, and then imagine my shock when I found out that he'd asked Garcia to pay for Jan's operation. I was extremely grateful, but I did ask Ryo never to tell anyone about it. I guess... I was afraid that it might get Ryo in trouble with you, if you learned that he had helped one of your kidnappers?"

"This is why we shouldn't assume things," Yuri said.

King nodded, then, and turned away from Yuri's gaze. "And... that's my story. I'll understand... if you don't want to see or speak to me again. If I... need to leave the team, I will. I won't like doing it, because it will disqualify us, but I also... don't want to have to force you to be in the same room with me, if you'd prefer not. I think... I can find someone to replace me, if the judges will allow that..."

"Shut up, King," Yuri cut her off. King raised her head to look at the other girl again. "Seriously, just shut the hell up and stop talking crazy," Yuri went on. "No one is leaving this team. Because friends don't bail on each other." Yuri reached over and took King's hand in her own. "King, after hearing your story, I'm not mad that you used to work for Big. I mean, you still had a conscience, and at the end of the day, you did the right thing. I don't care about who you were. I only care about the good person you are now. I'm angry because you've known who I really was ever since we met, and you never told me. I had to find out through someone else's slip of the tongue."

"I'm sorry, Yuri," King said. "Like I said, the past is not something I like to reminisce about. But more than that... I haven't had many friends in my life. I mean, I got along fine with Big's gang, but any single one of them wouldn't hesitate to stab you in the back to climb the criminal ladder. Even after I left the gang, it's been hard for me to make friends. I think most people are put off by the way I dress, the fact that I study martial arts. But, you and Mai... you offered me a spot on your team, and just accepted me for who I was, no questions asked. You're... true friends, something I haven't had in a very long time." King's eyes began to water as she spoke. "I guess I was scared... that if you knew who I really was, I'd lose that. But that's no excuse. Yuri, I am so sorry I didn't tell you the truth sooner. I... I should have had more faith in you."

Yuri could feel her own eyes starting to mist over. "Will you knock that off? You're making me do it, too." She leaned forward and gave her friend a hug. "It's okay, King... it's okay. I'm... willing to move past this if you are. But please, don't be afraid to trust me from now on. I _want _you to trust me. Because I'm your friend."

King hugged Yuri back and squeezed her eyes shut to try and stop her tears, but a few of them still slipped out. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Oh, this is _so sweet!_" They heard a familiar voice shout. "I love you girls!" A few seconds later, they felt Mai glomp into their hug,wrapping her arms around them both.

After a few moments, the three of them then straightened up. Yuri asked Mai: "I thought you went outside. How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to hear King say we were true friends! I'm just so happy I could burst! We're all a team again!"

"No," King shook her head as she rose to her feet. "We're friends!"

"Right!" Yuri stood up, as well. "Best friends!"

"Should we change our name to Team Best Friends?" Mai asked.

"Nah," said King. "Doesn't sound tough enough."

"King, Yuri..." Mai told the other two. "I was going to invite you to my wedding, but now, I'd like you to do more than just come. Right now, all I have is a Maid of Honor. I would love it if you two would stand up there with me as bridesmaids."

Both Yuri and King looked slightly taken aback. "Really?" King asked. "You'd want me up there with you?"

Mai nodded. "You and Yuri. I want all my true friends standing next to me on that day. Will you do it?"

Yuri quickly answered: "Yes, Mai. I'd be honored."

"Do I have to wear a dress?" King asked. Then she added: "That's a yes, by the way."

Mai laughed. "We'll work out the details later. For now, we should probably get back to the pavilion."

"Right!" King said, suddenly remembering the event that had brought the three of them together. "We have a tournament to win!"

"Hopefully, we can get back in time to see who we're fighting tomorrow," said Yuri.

"I also hope I didn't miss seeing my Andy fight," Mai said, suddenly getting a dreamy look in her eyes.

Soon, the three women were back outside and making their way down the sidewalk. "When we get back, I need to find Robbie and talk to him," Yuri mentioned to the other two. "I... kind of kissed him before I came over here."

"Kind of?" Mai asked.

"Yeah," said King. "If your lips touched, that's not 'kind of.' You kissed, period."

Yuri rolled her eyes. "Fine, then. I kissed him. Happy?"

Mai leapt about a foot in the air. "I'm _VERY _happy! That is awesome, girl! I knew you had it in you! All in a day's work for Team Women Fighters! Kicking butts and breaking hearts!"

"Breaking hearts?" King remarked.

"Well, sure," said Mai. "Imagine how many single men are gonna shoot themselves when they look up at the scoreboard at next year's tournament, and see that my last name is different?"

"We should let them shoot themselves over that," said Yuri. "So they can be removed from the dating pool." The three of them shared a laugh over that as they continued down the sidewalk.

And although they wound up losing the tournament that year (after getting defeated in the Quarterfinals by Team Japan), the members of Team Women Fighters still felt like winners. Because they walked away with something more valuable than money or personal glory.

Fin.

* * *

ADDITIONAL NOTES

And that's it for my AU timeline for a while. Next up is a main timeline fic I started working on that got pushed off to the side while I wrote this.

Hope you enjoyed! Please feel free to review.


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